Planned Parenthood of Montana v. State of Montana II
Description: Moments after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law HB 721, which protects life and women’s health by prohibiting gruesome dismemberment abortions, Planned Parenthood challenged the law.
Montana seeks to save innocent lives from barbaric procedure
HELENA, Mont. – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, serving as co-counsel with the Montana Attorney General’s Office, filed a brief Tuesday asking a state court to deny Planned Parenthood’s request to block enforcement of a state’s pro-life law.
On Tuesday, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law HB 721, which protects life and women’s health by prohibiting gruesome dismemberment abortions. In the case, Planned Parenthood of Montana v. State of Montana, the abortion giant is challenging this law, which prohibits a single abortion procedure that the state has determined is a “brutal and inhumane procedure.” Planned Parenthood filed this lawsuit moments after the law was signed, after prematurely filing an improper lawsuit several weeks ago before the bill was signed.
“Every human life is valuable, and every baby deserves to be protected. By enacting this critical legislation, Montana has affirmed the basic human rights of vulnerable children, whether born or unborn,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “The extreme lengths to which Planned Parenthood is willing to go to protect such a barbaric procedure makes it clear that the abortion industry only cares about its bottom line, not protecting women. Women deserve real health care, and unborn babies deserve a chance at life. We urge the court to uphold Montana’s pro-life law that saves innocent lives and protects mothers from substantial health risks.”
ADF attorneys are serving as co-counsel with the Montana Attorney General’s Office in another case where Planned Parenthood has challenged multiple state pro-life laws protecting women considering abortion.
- Pronunciation guide: Harle (HAR’-lee)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Denise Harle
Denise Harle serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where she is the director of the Center for Life. Prior to joining ADF, Harle served as deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Florida Attorney General, where she drafted appellate briefs and presented oral arguments on behalf of the state in a wide variety of constitutional cases, including defending the constitutionality of pro-life laws. In 2017, she participated in the prestigious Supreme Court Fellow program, sponsored by the National Association of Attorneys General. She clerked for Justice Ricky L. Polston on the Florida Supreme Court and worked for several years as an appellate litigator at a large firm in California. Harle earned bachelor’s degrees, summa cum laude, in psychology and interdisciplinary social science from Florida State University, a master’s degree in political science from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law. At Duke, she served as the executive editor of Law & Contemporary Problems. A member of the state bars of California, Florida, and Georgia, she is admitted to multiple federal district and appellate courts, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.